Mayor, school officials, law enforcement discuss classroom safety

All buildings, facililities to undergo safety reassessment

(File Photo) Bridgette Bissell helps Mayor Lloyd Winnecke with his name tag as he checks in at West Terrace Elementary School. Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke on Wednesday met with school safety with representatives of local public and private schools and law enforcement agencies in response to Friday's shootings which killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.,.

EVANSVILLE - Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke on Wednesday met with school safety with representatives of local public and private schools and law enforcement agencies in response to Friday's shootings which killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.,.

A news release from Winnecke's office said the meeting produced three steps:

n Local officials will begin the process of sharing uniform security procedures with the goal of forming a uniform emergency protocol to aid law enforcement in emergency situations.

n All school buildings and facilities will undergo a safety reassessment.

n Funding will be sought to further enhance security measures in all Evansville and Vanderburgh County schools.

The meeting stemmed from a Monday telephone conversation between Winnecke and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Superintendent David Smith, according to the release.

Also present at Wednesday's meeting were representatives of the Catholic Diocese of Evansville Schools, Evansville Day School, Evansville Christian School, Evansville Lutheran School, Joshua Academy and Signature School, along with the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office and Central Dispatch.

The group also agreed to expand the discussion to include emergency dispatchers, Emergency Medical Services personnel, and representatives from the University of Evansville, University of Southern Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College.

Conversations about enhanced school safety will continue over the holidays with specific groups of individuals, and the group as a whole will meet again in January, according to the mayor's news release.